MEETING OF TRUSTEES

OF

THE GARDEN CITY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

January 12, 2008

Trustees Present: Della Brandenburger, William S. Clifford, Merilyn Douglass,

Ron Schwartz, Steve Sterling, Terri Worf

Others Present: Carol E. Ballantyne, President

Darla Daniels, Deputy Clerk

Beth Tedrow, Dean of Student Services

Dee Wigner, Dean of Administrative Services

Kevin Brungardt, Dean of Academics

Judy Crymble, Dean of Technical Education

Nancy Harness, Assoc. Dean of Continuing Education/Community Services

Steve Quakenbush, Director of Information Services & Publications

Cathy McKinley, Director of Human Resources

Vic Trilli, Director of Athletics

Deanna Mann, Director of Institutional Research

Ryan Ruda, Director of Counseling/Advising Center

Jean Warta, Director of B & I

Cynthia Johnson, Title V Allied Health Program Specialist

Dev Sammanasu, IT Department

Barb Larson and Mary Pendergraft, Faculty Senate

Emily Behlmann, Garden City Telegram

Community leaders: John Doll, Bob Prewitt, Sister Janice Theme, Stan and Nanette Rice,

Larry Jones, Kirk Olomon, Doug Keller, Martin Nusser, Bob Halloran,

Pete Olson, Bob Kreutzer, Craig Wheeler, Don Linville, J. R. Behan,

Rich Harp, Allen Shelton, Matt Allen, Don Doll, Liz Sosa, Reynaldo Mesa,

Dale Masters, Carole Geier, Janie Perkins, Eric Depperschmidt

7:45 a.m. Everyone enjoyed a continental breakfast

8:00-9:15 a.m. Discussion with community leaders

Chairman Douglass welcomed everyone to the meeting and invited the group to give suggestions regarding these four questions:

1. What does the college need to do over the next five years to better serve Garden City and Finney County through workforce development and economic development efforts and initiatives, and in terms of our community’s quality of life?

2. What workforce training needs should GCCC address?

3. What bilingual training needs should be met in our community and area?

4. What new or enhanced community services can GCCC provide to enrich the quality of life for our community and service area?

Listed below is a summary of the owners’ responses:

o B&I – Basic Employment Skills
o Cooperative education opportunities – partner with businesses
o Integrate students and technology into community
o Training on cultural differences for community businesses
o Workshops for government/business leaders: generational employees, Millennial; Generation X
o Ask employees what their training needs are
o Work with employers’ needs (open forum)
o Command Spanish

o One credit classes – art, PE, vocational, re-certification
o One-day professional development workshops – clerical, nutrition, health, school district staff
o Work more with information for the Kansas Board of Regents
o Trade mentoring – keep grads/students in the area
o Study trends on grads who do remain in the area
o Work more with high schools so they realize a trade education is a viable career
o Assume growth – look at specific job skills needed (plumbers, construction)
o Positive Western Kansas image
o Profile successful employees who are in trade careers

o (WIIFM) What’s In It For Me

o Don’t come across as apologetic about who we are (promote positive Western Kansas image)
o Recruit high school for specific public service programs (i.e., fire fighters, EMST)
o Market the job itself
o “Free tuition” may cause lack of ownership

After approximately 1 ¼ hours of brainstorming, Chair Douglass thanked the owners for their participation and expressed appreciation to Deanna Mann and Cathy McKinley for jotting down notes on flipcharts. She stated that the Board would study this information and put together a plan for the future of GCCC. She encouraged the owners to always feel free to let the college know how it can help them.

9:50–10:30 a.m. – Regular Board meeting

COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIR. Chair Douglass called the regular session to order at 9:50 a.m. and made the following comments:

• Welcomed everyone back from the holiday break
• Thanked everyone for the great Spring Inservice sessions held earlier this week
• Thanked Emily Behlmann, Garden City Telegram, for the excellent work she did on a recent article discussing the cost of college education; Behlmann’s research showed that GCCC was cost efficient and had the lowest increase in tuition over the years

OPEN COMMENTS FROM PUBLIC. Chair Douglass noted that no one had registered to make comments.

CONSENT AGENDA

Chair Douglass asked if Trustees wished to pull any items on the Consent Agenda for the purpose of discussion; no one did, so she asked for a motion approving the Consent Agenda.

MOTION: Clifford moved, seconded by Sterling, that the Consent Agenda items be approved as presented. Motion carried 6-0.

Approved actions follow:

APPROVED MINUTES of previous meeting, December 12, 2007, as written.

SUBMITTED FINANCIAL INFORMATION TO THE AUDITOR, as presented.

APPROVED PERSONNEL ACTIONS, as presented - see attached lists.

APPROVED PROPERTY AND LIABILITY INSURANCE PREMIUM FOR 2008, as presented

Keller Leopold Insurance, Inc.

Package renewal: $113,212

POLICY REVIEW

MONITORING REPORTS and ENDS REPORT

Trustees indicated that they had received and reviewed the monitoring reports (monthly, quarterly, and annual). Clifford noted that “data directly addressing the CEO’s interpretation” was missing on the quarterly monitoring report, and Ballantyne indicated that she would check on that and present a revised report next month.

After discussion, Douglass stated that the monitoring reports were accepted as presented, with the understanding that an updated quarterly report would be presented next month.

OWNERSHIP LINKAGE

Trustees agreed that this morning’s discussion with several community members was an excellent example of ownership linkage and, in fact, was one of the better community meetings they had participated in in a long time. They expressed appreciation for those owners taking time to come to the meeting and give input. Trustees also felt that it would be a good idea to have a joint Board meeting with USD #457, USD #363, FCEDC, Chamber, City, and County in addition to having the CEOs meet on a regular basis. Ballantyne indicated that she would try to get the various Boards together sometime this spring.

The Board packet contained several pieces of correspondence from owners expressing their appreciation for various college activities: (1) letter to editor from Mary Guy praising GCCC for its support of the annual Tumbleweed Festival; (2) poem written by Shancee Howell for Rodeo Coach Jim Boy Hash; (3) letter from Joy Schoor regarding her son who is a former student; he transferred to University of Oklahoma in 2001, graduated from there in 2005 with a major in Meteorology/Geosciences; he is now a general forecaster for the National Weather Service in Virginia, Washington, DC, Baltimore, as well as the White House and the United States government. Trustees acknowledged that there were many other success stories of former students who had gone on to do great things.

BOARD PROCESS AND POLICY GOVERNANCE REVIEW

No discussion at this time

REPORTS

PRESIDENT CAROL E. BALLANTYNE noted that Trustees had received numerous informational reports. A complete report is filed in the electronic Board packet.

• Incidental Information – highlighted recent campus happenings.

• IPEDS Data Feedback Report (2007) - The report reaffirmed that among similar institutions, GCCC was both comparable and competitive in student body, cost-analysis, and personnel. Regarding tuition and fees, GCCC was significantly lower than the comparison groups; Clifford felt that we should “promote ourselves” to people of financial need and press into parents’ minds the fact that GCCC was an affordable institution.

• GCCC was awarded a Technical Education Technology and Equipment grant in the amount of $60,000 to support the development of an animal/meat science scientific laboratory!

Schwartz commented that he realized the incidental information, i.e., “good news,” was lengthy and perhaps cumbersome, but he very much appreciated receiving the information. Brief discussion was then held regarding the possibility of Trustees writing individual thank you notes to various people when they gave donations to the college such as the recent donation of stains and polyurethane (valued at $2,794) to the woodworking program from True Value. Gifts of this sort not only support student learning but also help defray some of the program costs related to instructional materials. Ballantyne indicated that she usually wrote a thank you note on behalf of the Board, but individual Trustees could certainly write a personal note as well.

REPORT FROM FINNEY COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP. Trustee Schwartz reported the following:

o Distributed a by-law amendment that the FCEDC adopted on December 13, 2007, which discussed the removal of member/termination of membership. He expressed regret about the partnership with the Chamber of Commerce being dissolved for the time being, but was hopeful that the differences between the two groups would be worked out because both groups’ objectives were the same, i.e., promote economic development in the Finney County/Garden City area
o Prospect 107 from Colorado was moving along very well
o The annual “report card” showed that 198.5 primary jobs were created this past year, which was double the goal of 90!

UPCOMING CALENDAR DATES. Chair Douglass reviewed the following:

--Feb. 7: Annual Finney County Legislative Reception in Topeka (Clifford, Douglass)

--Feb. 7: Annual Chamber of Commerce Banquet (Brandenburger)

--Feb. 11-13: ACCT Legislative Summit; Washington, DC (Schwartz, Worf)

--Feb. 14: KACCT/COP/PTK All-Kansas Celebration in Topeka

--Feb. 20: Regular monthly meeting

--Feb. 20-21: Technical Education Authority group on campus

--March 12: Regular monthly meeting

10:30 a.m. – Board Retreat (strategic planning and policy governance)

Carol Ballantyne referred Trustees to the notebook they had previously received, which detailed information regarding:

o Facilities—long-term plan
o Deferred Maintenance
o Operations—long-term plan
o Programs—long-term plan
o Financial Sources of Money
o Results and Accomplishments (campus-wide issues and Datatel projects)
o Matrix that tied together the Board’s Strategic ENDS, Strategic Plan, Faculty Senate Goals, AQIP, and KBOR
o Extended Conversation Day (Nova Group, January 2004)
o Staff and Faculty Input (Vital Focus Conversation Day, January 2003)

Ballantyne stated that she and members of the President’s Cabinet were here to answer questions Trustees had and to listen to what direction the Board wished to move toward.

Listed below are highlights from the Board’s comments:

o Work force priorities
o Work with other entities to bring in more students and strengthen the workforce (needs to be a community effort)
o Industry training needs (B & I)
o More opportunities to bring younger students and parents to campus
o Improve accessibility to public points of contact (i.e., Fine Arts, Athletics, DPAC)
o Visioning: 2 – 5 + years

o Facility needs

--Programs

--Technology

o Understand/work within confines of immigration issues
o Deferred maintenance
o Specify projects and phases for each year

o Trades people – need now
o Educate/train now – plumbers, electricians, welders, carpenters,

roofers, machinists, masons, HVAC

o Building/Fire Code training
o Educate/market specific careers
o Support students financially, emotionally, socially
o Incentives for specific careers/programs

o Re-direct resources
o Financial partnerships with businesses/industry
o Capitalize on tax credits (projects that qualify); frame in “community development”

o Facilities – recruiting students
o Work with community partners to establish “grow your own” programs
o Increase enrollment – identify most viable programs for increases
o ESL for Burmese employees
o Building trades—more education
o “Soft skills” training for employment (work ethic)
o Develop volunteerism

o Scholarship dual-credit students
o Find a way to retain employees and students
o Dual-credit developmental classes for high school students
o Be an agent to help with issues related to immigration; assist with employment eligibility for immigrants
o ESL for Somalians
o Support immigration reform
o Continue ESL classes and provide other language classes (Spanish, French, etc.)

o “Free” tuition for Finney County students – is it a wise thing or not?
o Advertise trade careers and opportunities - salary, benefits
o Expand educational partnerships with other regional entities
o Tuition reimbursement programs with employers
o Educate parents about GCCC’s programs/opportunities
o Reach out to non-traditional students
o Determine career; focus on completion
o Career development

o Parent Fair – GCHS
o Continue quality of life efforts (personal enrichment classes, community theater, etc.)

After about an hour of brainstorming and general discussion, Chair Douglass summarized the session, as follows:

1. What we heard from community leaders is that we need to keep providing trade and technical education programs. Coordinate this with B&I to make partnerships and internships so we can “grow our own” employee workforce and keep attracting people to the area

2. Promote and market the value and importance of trade and technical careers to young people and their parents

3. Go ahead with expanding the Penka Building because resources are most accessible for that building right now (Title V grant, Corley trust)

4. Develop/strengthen opportunities to attract prospective students and parents – Two buildings that promote the most events for attracting students and their parents are the Fine Arts and the DPAC (gym) Buildings. These buildings also promote quality of life events, so we need to improve/enhance these facilities and help the community get involved in more activities at the college. One challenge: the Mercer Gallery is not easily accessible during theatre productions—it needs to be open prior to performances and during intermission.

5. We heard from the community leaders that the agricultural work force needs some help; they need students to be interested in pursuing ag careers. We need to strengthen the Meat and Animal Science program so the agriculture workforce needs will be met. Maybe the college’s third or fourth priority would be to help the Meats and Animal Science department “build their dream.”

6. Trustees want Carol to work on deferred maintenance and do what we can to keep the campus buildings “up” and make them look beautiful and attractive.

7. Trustees want more information about the interest free loans (what can we apply for, etc.)

8. If we are going to ask for that money, we need to make the “project” attractive to the community so the people will want to buy into it (the “project” needs to be something tangible so they can see where their money is going).

9. The GCCC Board of Trustees wishes to move forward with its relationships with the City, the County, USD #457, USD #363 and the Chamber; they’d like to have a joint Board meeting sometime this spring

10. Lastly, the GCCC Trustees already meet with SCCC and DCCC; we need to keep working on that “golden triangle” relationship and keep developing partnerships and expanding services for southwest Kansas.

Chair Douglass, again, thanked everyone for their participation and indicated that these notes would be studied and a plan would be made for the future of GCCC. She then suggested that since the Board had already spent four hours in deep discussion, she proposed that the discussion regarding Policy Governance be postponed to a later date. Trustees felt that that was a good idea.

There being no further business to come before the Board, meeting adjourned at 11:45 a.m.

______________________ ________________________ ________________________

Darla J. Daniels Carol E. Ballantyne, Ph.D. Merilyn Douglass

Deputy Clerk Secretary Chair of the Board